Rehabilitation
by BlueAsh666
Summary: Because sometimes, even the strongest need help, regardless of whether or not they'll admit it. Even IF that help is from a skinny, pale teen that has a crush, because when you don't even consider the possibility of needing help, you don't get the option of choice. And besides... he's growing on her. Human!JackxOC Courage!Au
1. Chapter 1

The freshly-turned twenty year old woman hopped out of her car, a yellow 2008 Camaro with black racing stripes, leaving her door wide open, music blaring through the parking lot as she leaned on the hood and scanned the crowd for her target. When she spotted him, she grinned as she realized that _hey_, he was walking with a girl, which meant a new friend!

As her chest swelled with pride, her music player switched songs...

_Everywhere I go,_

_Bitches always know_

_That Charlie Sheen has got a weenie that he loves to show~_

She jumped up, face flushing red as literally _every head_ turned to look at her, tripping over herself in her rush to turn it off and, _unfortunately_, the next round of lyrics were... _less than tasteful_.

_Wake up_

_Grab beer, grab rear,_

_Shave beard, put on some scene gear,_

_Gotta get drunk 'til my mom wakes up,_

_Break up with my girlfriend so I can bang sluts-_

The girl grimaced, face burning as her legs hung out of the car haphazardly from when she had _leapt in_ to turn off her stereo. When she stepped back out of the car, the parking lot was _dead silent_, and she scratched her scarred cheek idly while clearing her throat. "Um... _sorry_, everyone," She coughed, "That was, um... _my bad_."

Her brother, Zach, slapped his palm to his forehead, bright green eyes alight as he bit back a laugh. "You are an _embarrassment_."

"Shut up, cripple!" She fired back, only to freeze as several gasps came from around her. _Whoops_... _right_... not everyone showed affection like they did...

Luckily, Zach quipped back instantaneously with a laugh, "Make me, Scarface!"

Snorting, she ran a hand through her auburn hair before pounding a fist into an open hand. "_Maybe I will_." The girl besides Zach looked like she wasn't sure if she should have been worried or amused, so she gave a goofy grin and a wink. "_We're just playin', sweetheart_, no worries." A look of relief crossed her face and she giggled, making her smile grow. "I'm Ashley Edgewood."

The girl brushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear, light brown eyes bright as she smiled. "I figured... Zach... Zach told me about you. I'm Emma."

Now, this girl, _Emma_... was absolutely _adorable_. With brown eyes, brown hair parted in bangs over her forehead, a beauty mark under her right eye, and faint freckles that ran over the bridge of her nose. Others might have said that she looked average... _but Ashley knew better than to look at that_. She looked at the _eyes_. Not at the color, but at how they lit up, how they surveyed the world around her, how they reacted when seeing certain people...

It was always the eyes. _Eyes are a window to the soul_, after all.

Shaking her head to herself, Ashley gave a mock, over-dramatic bow. "_Greetings_, young grasshopper."

"_Ashley_," Zach groaned, "You're _embarrassing me!_"

Said girl grinned. "Your _face_ embarasses me. Now _hush_, I'm _conversing!_"

The boy gave another overdramatic groan and hobbled over, leaning against her heavily and trying not to giggle as he retorted, "That doesn't even make _sense_..."

"Your _face_ doesn't make sense!" She fired back before covering his whole face with her hand to quiet him as she turned back to Emma. "I don't think I've ever seen ya here before; you new around here, babe...?"

With a nod, Emma smiled shyly. "Kind of, yeah... We're from the other side of town."

Ashley's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's where my dentist is! The lil' ol' tooth fairy!" Emma quirked a brow as she continued, "Yeah, that's the _only_ dentist I go to..." She leaned a bit closer and whispered. "I'm _terrified_ of all things hospital and hospital-_ish_. It's the needles, man... They _always_ get to me. It's just the thought of something being _in_ you..." She visibly shuddered. "_Disgusting_."

Emma giggled. "_You're funny_."

"Am I? _Good_. Funny's good..." Glancing down at Zach, she double-checked, "Funny _is_ good, right...?" When he nodded, she nodded back in response. "_Right_. Funny's good. _Anywho_... you got a ride, baby doll? 'Cause I'd be down for giving you a lift in Bumblebee; any friend of lil' Z's is a friend of mine."

"I'm okay," The little girl assured her, "My mom is coming..." She faltered as she studied Ashley closely. "But... maybe you could explain algebra for me...?" The girl asked sheepishly, "I'd ask my brother, but he's _terrible_ at math... and he makes fun of me. And my mom is bad at math, too, so..."

"I'm _awesome_ at math!" Ashley nodded vigorously. "I mean, _I hate every second of it_, but I'm good at it; so _yeah_, I can teach ya! It's actually pretty easy once you figure it out, but _look here_..." She leaned in a bit, looking around, purposely suspicious-looking, "I can't do it right now... Me and lil' Z, we're on a _quest_."

"A... _quest...?_" She asked curiously, as Zach gave a muffled, annoyed sigh against Ashley's hand.

Nodding, Ashley cracked a smile. "Yeah. Collect one _peppermint mocha_ and one _hot chocolate_ at castle _Starbucks_. We do it _every_ Tuesday, so... _yeah_. Highly important mission, here, so we'll have to bump it to some other time; I'll be your own personal _tutor_ if ya want, but-"

"Okay." Emma beamed.

Ashley faltered and blinked. "I... wait, _what...?_" She looked down at Zach. "What'd I just sign up for...?"

The boy pried her hand off with a huff. "You pretty much just became her tutor."

Brows furrowed, the auburn-haired girl protested weakly, "Wait, I got-I got _work_ and-"

"We can work out a time and place later," Emma rolled back onto her heels, glancing off to the side and giving a small wave before turning back to them. "My mom's here, I gotta go! Bye Zach, bye Ashley!"

The girl ran off without another word, and Ashley blinked several times. "_What_... what just happened...?"

Zach rolled his eyes, but smiled regardless and nuzzled her arm. "You became a tutor."

"Bu... wha... I have _work!_" She protested weakly as he walked over to the passenger side and hopped in, while she followed suit and dropped into her seat. "I have a regimen and plan for the day!" She paused before a grin crossed her face and she added slyly, "_Bus-_"

"_NO!_" Zach yelled, trying to look angry and failing as he jabbed her in the arm with a finger, "If you sing that _stupid_ bus song, I'll... _ooh_, you'd better not..."

Her grin widened. "_Waitin' for the bus in the rain, in the rain, wait-waitin' for the bus in the rain. Now there's other people waitin' at the bus stop-mmph!_" She got cut off as Zach slapped a hand to her mouth, his eye twitching as he glared playfully. Pulling his hand off with a laugh, she ruffled his light brown hair. "_Okay, okay_... I won't sing it today. Any ways... to Starbucks!" She gestured to the horizon as she started her car, pausing to _change the song_ before giving a curt nod. "Tonight, we dine in Hell!"

Zach snorted. "That's hardly the way to ref-ref-referer to your favorite place."

"_Refer_, babe... You were close, though, so no worries," She corrected lightly, pretending to cuff him in the ear before putting her hands back on the wheel. "And don't be such a smart-donkey... _We have enough of those_ in this family, _thank you very much-y_."

"You're _welcome_ very much-y." He giggled as she turned to dead-pan at him. "Anyways, _to Starbucks!_"

She grunted before turning back to the road, letting his comment slide as she added, "To victory! Also, check your leg straps and make sure they're not too tight, would ya...? I _do not_ wanna spend all night putting down the swelling again." She puffed out her cheeks in mock irritation before chuckling. "Do you know how hard work was the next day? It was _hellish_. It's bad enough I lost my sexy-hot good looks, kid; _don't make me lose my sleep_, too."

A guilty look crossed his face, "I... _sorry_..." His lower lip wobbled, and Ashley _very nearly_ ran off the road in her haste to take it back and or comfort him. _Too soon! Way_ too soon to pull one of _those_ jokes!

"Hey, _hey!_" She said sternly, voice losing it's normal goofy, playful tone, "I was _kidding_, bud. First of all: It wasn't your fault. _Get that through your thick head_, will ya? And I'd rather look like _Quasimodo_ than have you hurt, and you _know that_." She rolled her shoulders as she slowed her car to a stop at a red light, turning to look at the boy's watery green eyes. "How many times do we have to go through this...? I don't regret it, and I _never will_. And if it was _anyone's_ fault, it was _mine_. I shouldn't have fallen asleep..." Turning back to the road, she gnawed on her lip. "_Blame me_ for it. I deserve it."

As the light turned green and she pushed the pedal, Zach hugged her arm and nuzzled her shoulder with a shuddery sigh, lips twitching up as she attempted to tame his ever-present bedhead. "_Shut up_."

"_Make me_." She fired back, cracking a grin as he moved to do so, purposely veering the car slightly. "_Driving! Gosh_, kiddo, Bumblebee only _just_ got fixed, _shit!_" She faltered before adding quietly, guiltily, "_Cursing is wrong_, Zach-y..."

The boy threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

**Author's note~**

**I can hear the collective groans in the background: '_Lord Jesus, woman, just give us the goddamn sequel!'_**

**And I will. _In time_. I know, I know... it's been a while. But I'm already still working on another little project of mine, 'Redneck in Gotham', and I'm hell-bent and determined to get at least _closer_ to the end before I kinda... let it _drift away_. And even then, the chances of me _actually_ leaving it unfinished are slim. So... Courage 2 (or whatever I decide to call it) will come out whenever. Probably (hopefully) before next year. **

**Until then, I present you with this! It's an AU thing, where Ashley never died, and Jack Frost is just a guy in high school. It's mostly for practice, but also because I feel bad that I've been leaving you guys hanging. Also (gonna have to get it over with in one way or another, in this or in RiG) I gotta practice sexual stuff... which is why this is M-rated. So... I guess, if there's anything a little TOO lemon-y, I'll put a warning before the chapter...? Or should I just not bother...?  
**

**_Oh well_. I'll figure it out, yo.  
**

**Tell me if I made any errors and or spelling mistakes, and I'm SO sorry I suck at beginnings.**

**Bear with me, guys! ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ**

_**, Blue**_

**And oh my glob you guiz, it feels SO good to be back in the RotG section! I missed it more than I thought I had :) **


	2. Chapter 2

Ashley groaned as she rolled over in her bed. Her feet inched out of the blanket, and she immediately curled into a ball as the cold air touched her. _Fuck that shit_... It was _cold_ man. _Ugh_... she liked the cold as much as anyone; hell, probably _more_, but _not at the butt-crack of dawn_. At the butt-crack of dawn, she wanted to be warm and _maybe_ snuggle...

Hearing a muffled _squeak!_ Ashley all but jumped five feet in the air. She pulled up the covers blearily to look into her cocoon of blankets, huffing as a furry creature scampered up her arm and sat back onto its hind legs, washing it's whiskers while another, smaller one walked up her torso.

The girl gave an unamused grunt. "_Apollo_. _Hades_. You guys have your _own_ nest..." She stifled a yawn and stretched, pausing as the two hopped off of her shoulder and onto her chest. "I'm gonna hurt one of you guys, one of these days..."

Ignoring her warning, the smaller one with black fur with a white patch over its left eye, _Hades_, came over and nuzzled her neck, squeaking lightly. The other, white with a silver hood, _Apollo_, simply curled into her shoulder.

"_Guys_," She whined, lightly stroking them, "Go back to your _freaking_ cages, _please_... I wanna _sleep_. _Alone_."

The two rats ignored her again, and she sighed heavily. _Fine_... she didn't care if they got crushed... The girl sighed and put an arm over her eyes, putting her other securely around Apollo with a yawn.

Literally _just_ as she started to drift off again, her phone began vibrating on her side, and she groaned loudly before fumbling to grab it. When she got it and flipped it open, she spoke blearily into the phone, "What d'you want?"

"_Well_, good afternoon to you, too."

She gave a low whine. "_Don't be a jerk_. They cut my hours at GameStop for some reason, so I got a part-time job as a late-night security guard for the museum. _Wha's up_, chicken bone...?"

He laughed. "Emma wanted to know if you'd help her with her homework."

Ashley blinked groggily, stifling a yawn as she asked tiredly, eyes closed, "Wait... _what time is it?_"

"Four twenty-two."

Her eyes popped open. "_Oh_... poop" She threw off her blanket, minding her babies, and rubbed her eyes. "_Yeah_, yeah, I can come... where to, exactly?"

"Just head towards home. _You'll see me_."

Nodding to herself, she helped Apollo to her shoulder as she sat up. "Yeah, all right..." As Hades nibbled on her hair affectionately, she remembered. "_Oh!_ Oh, hey, can I bring Hades and Apollo? I haven't spent a whole lot of time with them, and I feel kinda bad..."

"Uhh... I guess," He said slowly, before audibly perking up. "Oh, should I run and grab some mint for them?"

"_If you wanna_," She replied while standing up and grabbing a shirt. "_They_ would certainly like it if you did. Oh, and have a cup of coffee waiting...?"

Zach giggled. "Yeah, I will," He hummed, and she could practically _hear_ him nod decisively. "'Kay, I'll tell her you said yeah. Just look for me as you get close to the house, okay? _Look for the cripple_." He joked before laughing, "See ya, Ash. Love you."

"Love you, too, kiddo."

The girl closed her phone and shoved it in her jeans pocket before trotting to the door, only to freeze as she reached it and back track. _Forgot to get a bra_. Whoops...

Once she got some decent clothes on, with a rat on either shoulder, she carefully pulled on her old, worn out bomber jacket and hastily brushed her teeth, she headed out the door. As the cold air hit them, Apollo and Hades curled closer to her neck, and she shifted the furred collar so that it covered them before trotting down the stairs, quickly raking her fingers through her hair as she got to her car.

Hopping in and cranking on the heater, she relaxed against the leather seats with a sigh while waiting for it to warm up. As she rubbed her eyes, a thought hit her. _She could have easily told him 'no.'_ And he'd not have the right to deny her or anything because, _shit_, she'd gotten home at seven in the morning! He literally _couldn't_ have gotten mad...

But still. Ashley loved the kid, and she _might_ have still felt guilt for the crash... But mostly, she just... didn't like to tell him 'no'. He was there for her; they played together, they learned together, they've bled together. The word '_no_' was kind of out of the equation, when it came to him...

"Man..." She yawned, leaning back against the seat, "I am so _whipped_ for that fuckin' kid..." She paused, turning on the stereo at a _tolerable _level (only on account of her furry friends) before humming, "And I don't really care, either."

* * *

_Apparently_, Emma's house was _literally_ right across the street from hers - er, well, her _former_ home. Which was good for a _number_ of reasons, obviously. If the two got older and hooked up, she would be able to find them easier and potentially give the old '_if you hurt my brother I'll kick you in trachea_' speech. And, of course, the whole 'tutor' thing would be more convenient, because _apparently_ that's what she was, now...

Man, sometimes Ashley _hated_ kids... they just got to her in a way nothing else really could, and, quite frankly, she'd bend over backwards for _any_ kid. Because even _if_ she was a potentially scary, tattooed boxer and mixed martial artist that smoked cigars, she was the _biggest_ softie when it came to kids and baby animals... _not that she would ever admit that out loud_, because she _did_ have a reputation to keep.

As she pulled into the driveway where Zach stood waving like a madman, she poked her head out to grin at him. He beamed back as he limped over, opening the door for her as she turned and pulled her keys from the ignition. "S'up, Cripple. You got my stuff?" As he nodded, Hades peeked a head out from her collar, "Oh, and, uh... _mint?_"

The boy giggled and pulled some sprigs from his pocket. "Inside, though... It's _freezing_ out here." He took in her unzipped jacket and thin, tattered tank top and raised a brow. "How are you not cold...?"

She rolled her eyes and tugged him to her side, resting her arm on his shoulder protectively as she strolled to the door. "Being cold is for _squares_. I don't get cold." She rapped a beat against the door, ignoring Zach as he told her to just _walk in_ with a look and a playfully muttered complain of, "Didn't I raise you to be more polite...? _Sheesh_. Kids these days... _Respect your goddamn elders_."

The boy rolled his eyes, but stayed quiet as the door opened.

A guy around her age (it was give or take, but _most likely_ take) opened the door. It immediately struck her that he was _probably_ a relative of Emma's, on account of the fact that he looked just like her. His skin was paler and he had light shadows under his eyes, but the same colored hair, if a bit darker, with faint freckles dotted his nose and upper cheeks that, _again_, was a quality that Emma had.

But _God_, was his hair messy. It suited him in a way, she supposed, but still... _did he go out with his hair like that_, or did he just get out of bed..?

If it was the latter, then _damn_ was the guy a lazy-ass...

Clearing her throat, Ashley gave a small wave and nodded in greeting. "Hi...? I'm supposed to be tutoring Emma, I think."

The guy raised a brow and gave a crooked smile that looked _impish_. "_You think_...?" He repeated before snorting. "Yeah, she told me you were coming..." He sniffed, "She doesn't want _my_ help... I guess she thinks she's too good for me or something."

"_No_," Emma's voice protested loudly from behind him, as small arms closed around his middle "You just don't ever stop calling me _dumb!_ I get nervous with you always doing that stupid little smirk!"

"_That sounds like a personal problem_." He said with a smirk.

The little girl scoffed into his back. "Shut up..."

With a small laugh, Ashley glanced down at her brother and ruffled his hair. "Something about this seems familiar, huh?"

The boy rolled his eyes but nodded against her side. "_Yeah, yeah, yeah_..." His green eyes met the guy's brown ones. "Jack, it's _cold_. Let. Us. In."

"Alright, sure, fine," The guy, _Jack_, apparently, grinned and stepped to the side, motioning for the odd pair to come in and nodding at Ashley. "You're the one who wanted coffee, right...? It's waiting for you in the kitchen; all you've gotta do is put hot water in it, and we already have some made." Ashley nodded gratefully. Apollo stuck his head out from under her collar, and the guy jumped _three feet in the air_. "_What the - what is that?!_"

With a grin, she reached up to lightly stroke his little furry chin. "It's my pet. _One of them_, anyways..." Hades' head popped out, too, and her smile widened. "_Well'p_... there's the other one. But yeah... _pets_. They're really friendly, you wanna hold one?" He vigorously shook his head, and she laughed. "Suit yourself..." He stepped back and let her in, and she trudged in with a yawn. "_Alright_, kiddies... before we do _anything_, where's the coffee at? _I need it_..."

"Y'know, _coffee's bad for you_."

Ashley froze. _Oh no he didn't_. She turned slowly, as Zach huffed in annoyance and stumbled ahead without her, mumbling something about getting the coffee made while she committed murder, and she looked at the cheeky, freckled guy. "Hey, _hey_. _Shut up_. _I do what I want_."

The guy snorted and smirked, and Emma groaned while he puffed out his chest. "You're in _my house_. _My rules_. I could kick you out if I wanted~"

Pointing at her offender sharply and looking at Emma expectantly, she received little more than a small, apologetic shrug. Ash ran a hand through her hair and tugged lightly. "First of all, who-how old are you...?"

"I'm Jack, and I'm seventeen." He said proudly.

She nodded. "Hm, yes, _well_... _Jack_, was it...? I'm Ashley and I am your _elder_. Respect my authority, rapscallion!"

He snorted and laughed. "_Rapscallion_...?"

"Yeah," She lightly pushed him away by the face and grunted, "Now _move_. I have math to do and coffee to drink." Ashley wasted no time making herself at home, plopping down _right in the middle of the floor_, and curling into a ball with a yawn before calling for Zach. "_Double time_, little Z! I'm practically withering away, with all the time your takin' for _one mug of coffee_, boy!"

The teen raised a brow as Zach harrumphed and limped off. "You're a little _mean_ to him, don't you think...?"

"Oh yeah, _for sure_," She waved him off dismissively while shrugging her jacket off onto the floor, dryness in her tone as she took the offered math homework from Emma and studied it curiously while adding offhandedly, "I'm _definitely_ mean to him. And certainly more than a _little_. _Pssh_, I _hate_ that kid." His brows drew together in concern, and it occurred to Ashley that _maybe he didn't catch the sarcasm_... She crawled up onto his couch with a heavy exhale. "_Yup_... I give him my coat when it's _three degrees outside_. I _clearly_ hate his guts..."

His brows shot up into his hair, and as he opened his mouth to say something, Zach chimed in with a steaming mug in hand. "I hate her _waaay_ more."

An easy smile crossed the scarred girl's face. "You _wish_ you hated my guts as much as I hate yours, kid."

"_Ha!_ Which is only as much in your _dreams!_"

"_Boy_, you can not even _comprehend_ the level at which I _loathe_ your existence! Thou art a _plague_ on thy mother, thy father, and thy world, you _rotten, unmuzzled, reeling-ripe dewberry!_!" Both Emma and Jack burst out laughing, but she ignored them, smirking as she finished, puffing out her chest with victory. "_Shakespearean insults_... top it." The boy stayed quiet as a meek look crossed his face, and her smile widened. "_Top it_, Zach-attack... TOP-"

"I CAN'T." The boy yelled back, crossing his arms and huffing. "I can't even get a _three sentences_ in, in your stupid Shakespeare books without getting to a word I don't know - I _can't top Shakespearean_. In fact, I don't even know why you still _have_ those books!"

"Knowledge is the best weapon you can arm yourself with," Ashley chuckled under her breath before standing up and giving an over dramatic bow. "And that's the _first step to learning_, young grasshopper; admitting that you can't do everything. Good-"

"Don't pratronize me!" He mock-yelled, trying not to giggle as he walked over and handed her the mug.

"_Patronize_, babe," The girl corrected lightly, sipping the drink and tugging Zach down before looking at Emma, patting the other side of her cheerfully. "Alright-y, kiddies... let's learn algebra!"

As Emma sat down with a bright smile, she eyed her older brother curiously. "So... you can go now."

The freckled boy scoffed and lifted his pointer finger to move with his words. "Um, _no_... She's a stranger, she could abduct you. _No_." He added under his breath as he sat cross-legged on the floor, "And I wanna make sure she's not secretly an idiot, _and_ I _may_ have forgotten this stuff, so..."

Ashley deadpanned at the teen. "Seriously...?" He fidgeted, but didn't answer, and the girl just rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever... _fine_. So, let's look at this first one, right?" She held the paper out to Emma, and, minding Jack, added, "So, it's three m to the power of two, in parentheses, right?" She checked to make sure the siblings got it, before continuing. "And on the outside of the parentheses on the right side, there's a three."

She turned the paper so Jack could see, and he squinted while looking at it. "Okay, soo... you add the three to everything now, right...?"

Her shoulders dropped as she deadpanned at the teen, before turning to Emma and asking, "You got any spare paper for me, Em an' Em...?" The girl all but jumped to get a piece of notebook paper, and once Ashley got it, she promptly crumpled it into a ball and _beamed it at the teen's head_. As he yelped, she scoffed. "You can _not_ be that dumb, dude, _come on_. _Seriously?_"

"Yeah."

"He's serious..."

Running a hand through her hair, she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "_Wow_..."

The teen frowned, jumping up and snatching the homework before taking off outside, shouting back, "_I'm bored!~_"

Ashley froze, hand still out as though she were still holding the homework, and blinked. She turned to look at Emma, and the younger girl simply shrugged and gestured for her to go and get it. And so, shoulders slumped with annoyance and exasperation, she gave her younger brother her two rats to snuggle with and her mug to hold before taking off outside after the teen with a huff.

As she jogged out, she immediately caught sight of the cheeky teen, who had been _waiting_ for her, by the way, before taking off down the street.

Throwing her arms up into the air, she took off after him. _The whole _'tutor' _thing was becoming a lot more work than she'd wanted it to be_, damnit! All she'd wanted to do was help out one of her brother's few friends, and now she's gotta _hunt a rampaging teenager down!_

Sprinting after him, she quickly started to catch up, and as she neared, he glanced back only to cry out in surprise. A grin crossed her face, hair whipping behind her as she hunted him down. "I got ya _now_, kid! You messed with the bear - you're gettin' the claws!"

"_Fat chance!_" He shouted back, pearly teeth glinting as he turned his head to smirk at her. He took a sharp left, taking an oddly _long_ stride, and she followed... _only to have her feet slide up from under her_ as her feet hit black ice.

A loud yelp escaped her lips, and for a small eternity, _time stood still_. Jack seemed to turn in slow motion, his face contorting into a look of horror as his brown eyes met her lighter ones. A single thought ran through her head while she was mid-air, and it came tumbling out her lips...

"_Oh, cock-bite!_"

* * *

**Author's note~**

**I already have, like, 11,000 words of this written up, so I figured, '_hey, let's update today because I really do suck at beginnings, and I feel like making it up to the people who suffered through the first chapter_.' So that's what's happening.**

**OH MY GLOB YOU GUIZ, I got like 3 reviews and follows and _what?!_ I literally JUST threw this out, I love ALL OF YOU!  
**

**Lemme know if I made any errors because I miss them ALL the time. My brain moves faster than my fingers, so they'll just randomly spasm and stop working right. And I hope my goofy little tale made you smile a little :)**

**Bear with me guys! ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ**

**Peace off and bless your face!**

**,_ Blue_**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Ohhhh_, shit..." Ashley groaned, almost completely out of it, rolling onto her back as her new acquaintance slid to his knees at her side. Her head rang, and her skull throbbed.

"_I'm so sorry!_" Jack said hurriedly, words rushed yet hands _oddly gentle_ as he helped her sit up. She found it hard to focus, and the whole world felt _horribly_ out of balance as she sat up, immediately leaning against the teen with a dazed look on her face. Jack winced, moving to touch her head, only to change his mind and put an arm over his shoulders to try and keep her warm as he realized that _she didn't have a coat_. "I-_I didn't think that_-"

The girl winced, shushing him woozily while she squeezed her eyes shut, wobbling despite sitting down and voice slurring slightly. "S'okay... jus'... _ow_. Give-gimme a sec' to recombobulate... _Ooh_, that kinda hurt..."

He grimaced as guilt flooded his eyes. "I am _so sorry_..." She mumbled something unintelligible, head dropping against his shoulder as she slurred her words together, and he bit his lip while shifting uncertainly. "I... _what's your name?_"

"I..." She faltered, eyes meeting his with a _look_. "_You don't know_...?"

Despite the possibly _horrid_ situation, the boy's lips twitched up. "_I_ know, I'm worried that _you_ don't know."

"Oh..." She blew out air sharply as she racked her brain for something that _should_ have been instantaneous. "I'm... 'M Ace - err, _Ashley_. Tha's my name..."

Jack frowned as she let out a low groan that sounded akin to a _whimper_. "You took a _little_ too long to answer that for me to feel confident..." He bit his lip eith uncertainty. "Uh... okay, how about this... How did you get those scars on your face and... _pretty much everywhere else?_"

She lifted her head (a little too suddenly) and wobbled a bit, grabbing the teen's shoulder to stay steady as her brows drew together confusedly. "Wait, I... I dun think I told you that..."

"_Okay_, you didn't," He raised his arms in defeat, breathing a laugh, "I was just curious, really... But, I guess now isn't the time, so; what city are we in...?"

She blinked several times. "Bur... _Burgess_. Burgesses... Burgesseses..."

The brunette raised a brow. "Burgesseses...?"

"_Burgesseses_." Ashley confirmed before cracking a faint smile. "Jus' kidding, so you know... 's _Burgess_." A grimace crossed her face as she gingerly touched the side of her head, only to wince and hiss in pain. "_Oh_, man... tha's gonna be the death of me later..."

He raised a brow. "What do you mean by that...?"

"_Nothin'_," She said, perhaps a _bit_ too quickly, "Nothing... I'm okay..." She rubbed her scarred cheek. "Can we head back, or do I have to chase you some more...?"

The teen had a mini panic attack as he stuttered and stumbled over his words, "I-_no!_ Gosh, what-what do you _take_ me for?! _No_, you don't have to-"

"_Kidding_," She cut him off with a goofy, one-sided smile at his wide, concerned eyes. "I'm _jokin'_, bud, chill out..." She rolled her shoulders and moved so that she wasn't _completely_ leaning against him, biting back a grimace as the back of her head throbbed. "Come on, then... I'm magma-blooded and all, but still... sitting on an iced road isn't my idea of a good time; I'd prefer a couch, or some carpet, or _something_. Throw me out on the snow, at the very least."

He spluttered. "_I'm not gonna do that!_" The brunette huffed and shifted, eyeing her with his brows drawn together. "_Why_ did you come outside with out a freaking _coat?_"

She rolled her eyes and dragged herself to her feet, ignoring his protests to '_take it easy_' as she wobbled unsteadily. "I told you... _I'm magma-blooded_."

Jack hopped to his feet and tensed a moment as she leaned against him before relaxing and scoffing at her previous statement. "What does that even mean...?"

"It _means_," Ashley waggled her eyebrows, "_I'm hot_... like, my body's actually warmer than it should be, all the time. Ninety-nine point six, all day, everyday..." She hummed in thought as the two began walking back, still using the teen as a crutch to keep from staggering around like a drunk. "The doctor said that it's kinda bizarre, that I'm perfectly healthy at that temperature. And I don't really get sick, either..." She shrugged. "I'm kinda like a mobile heater, basically."

He snorted. "You're ridiculous..."

The girl shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, it was either be _this_, a sad sack; _or_ I could've went with my buddy Nate and joined his, uh... _group_." The teen shot her a look, brows quirked, and she quickly corrected herself. "_Okay_, I'll admit it... it wasn't a group, it was a gang... but that option's out, anyways-Nate finally got pissed with them and ratted 'em out, got them all arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of their lives, and he got out of it scratch-free..."

_Of course_, by now, she'd realized she was rambling _and_ telling a guy she just met some stuff that she didn't even tell _Zach_, and promptly shut her mouth. But... _the damage was already done_. The teen was looking at her like she was a freak of nature (which, _technically_, she kind of was), and the chances of being friends with the kid went screaming into a lake of lava...

_Well_, at least she always had Nate... an ass, he was, but he always had her back with an offered cigarette in one hand and some Disney movies in the other.

"You... you have one crazy story on your hands." The teen piped up after a while, eyes on the road ahead.

She shrugged. "Yeah... _guess it is_."

It went quiet again for a few minutes, before he spoke up again. "So... uh... _do you_... I don't suppose you paid attention to where we were going, and know where my house is...?"

She threw her head back and barked a laugh, grinning as he whined under his breath, "_It's not funny!_"

"It kind of is." She laughed, lightly nudging his side with an elbow. "And be cool, would ya? _I got this_. I know how to get homeward bound."

Jack blinked. "Isn't that a dog movie...?" He faltered, and he glared. "And I'm the _king_ of cool!"

Rolling her eyes to the sky, she heaved a breath while fighting back a smile. "Oh _lordy_... _What a guy_." She started to say something along the lines of '_you got issues_', but stumbled over her feet and slid onto her knees, effectively scraping her legs and thus her new jeans (_shit!_), as well as her palms. While Jack stared wide-eyed at her sudden fall, she cursed loudly and just plopped over onto her side. "_I QUIT._" She exclaimed loudly and sourly. "I _refuse_ to move another _inch_."

The teen tried not to grin while kneeling down. "C'mon... I _think_ we're almost there, and-"

"I said I quit, now _leave me here to die!_" She growled, partially playing and _partially not_, because she was _not_ going to fall again. She had a _match_ soon, and she could _not_ afford to hurt herself any more... Like, she _literally_ couldn't afford to miss any matches, what with GameStop cutting her hours, and only working night-time security at the museum every every three days... "Just... keep go to the stop sign up ahead, make a left and keep going. You'll get there when ya get there. I'll get up whenever I feel like it..."

Jack eyed her critically for a moment before snorting and leaning down, scooping her up into his arms before walking to the stop sign.

And she all but _panicked_. "What the - _who_ the, put-_put me down_, numb nuts!" He sniggered, and she looked at him bewilderedly. "_Frost_. I am by _no means_ a _little_ person. I'm a big girl, I can make my own decisions. _Put me down_."

"It's okay," He chuckled as she gave him a _look_, "You aren't _fat_ or anything; and as _weird as you are_, I'm not just gonna _leave you_ in the middle of the street. Plus, I wanted to look at your tattoos, and this is a good excuse."

"You could've just _asked_," she told him dryly. "And who you callin' weird?! I'm _perfectly_ normal, thank you very much... _ya little shit_."

He barked a laugh. "Oh, so now you're _insulting me?_ I could drop you right now, ya'know..."

"That's kinda the goal," She informed him with a quirk of her lips. "Seriously, guy... _I'll get there in a bit_, I'm not gonna abandon your sister or anything. S'okay..."

Jack raised a brow, faltering mid-step for a second before continuing on his way, shaking his head to himself with a crooked grin. "You're a _stubborn_ one, aren't you?"

Ashley shrugged.

* * *

Later on that night, after _four hours_ of teaching Emma various algebra things that she would be sure to end up learning in the future and getting her caught up (and beyond), she finally plopped into her bed with a tired groan as Apollo and Hades munched away in their cages.

She was _dog_ tired... _and her fucking palms kept throbbing_. Blegh...

After getting (unwillfully) carried back to the Frost household, and after Zach freaked out and berated her for a bit, and after meeting the siblings' mom, she'd stayed after to eat with them. And _then_ she'd had a quick visit with her dad and _that_ was always... _energy-consuming_, to put it lightly.

"Whew..." She huffed to herself, turning over clumsily to stare at her ceiling.

After a bit, she pulled her left arm up to study the pink scars. A sick feeling filled her stomach as she ran her fingers along the scarred skin, and she grimaced as she studied them... _At least her tattoos covered some of them_. If things had been a little different... _she wouldn't have been able to even look at them_. It wasn't a _rare_ occurrence when she'd remind herself how _great_ it was to still be able to see, because the glass from the car crash, man, _it had almost sliced open her eyes_. A few inches, _millimeters_, even, and she wouldn't have ever had to worry about how she looked ever again.

_To be completely honest_... she almost wished she _had_ been blinded, as lame as that sounded. At first, _yeah_, Ash had been praised as a _hero_, but... after a while, people looked at her like she was someone in a _freak show_. A mix of pity, disgust, discomfort, and just plain _fear_.

That was why they were cutting her hours at GameStop; _she wasn't an idiot_. Oblivious, sometimes, sure, but she could only miss the stares for _so long_ before realizing that they were looking at her with _fear_. The manager, Francisco, was a good friend of hers, sure, but he kept getting complaints. He _had_ to do something, regardless of whether he wanted to or not because it was simply a _fact_; most people didn't know what to do around her.

Not kids, though... _maybe that was why she liked them so much_. When kids she didn't already know came into the GameStop and saw her, they'd bound over with wide eyes and big grins, and would ask if she was a _warrior_ while their mom or dad looked at her like she was a dead bug on the floor. Kids would beam and laugh and giggle as she told stories about that one time she got her foot stuck to a four-wheeler and she got dragged across a field. Kids would stare with awe as she described to them the first time she saw a bear in the mountains, and told them about how _everything around her and the bear_ just _stopped_.

Hell, kids liked her so much, that was actually part of the _profit_ in the store. The parents didn't like her, but _their kids did_, and Ashley always made sure they were safe and kept them entertained, so occasionally a kid would get dropped off for an hour or so while they went off to do _God knows what_, leaving their child with twenty dollars for snacks and drinks... Pedophiles and abductors were always out there, _sure_, but they _always_ made sure to avoid _her_ GameStop.

It was one time... _only_ one, that one of her kids had almost gotten taken. But she'd tackled that fucker to the ground and kicked him in the mo-foing trachea so hard, _it nearly collapsed_...

The guy went to jail, and she'd _never_ had another incident like that again.

Really, if she thought too much about it, it could make her crazy... She'd always gone out of her way for kids, and just _people in general_. She'd nearly gotten _blown up_ dragging the guy that had crashed into her away from his blazing car! She'd ended up _rolling down_ a _huge-ass hill_, and had stayed there for _hours_ before they found her. And what did she get in return...? She got treated like a _threat_. A _thug_. Whole corridors went quiet when she went through them. Tourists looked at her like the dirt beneath their feet, mothers from out of the area covered their kids eyes!

It just... _wasn't fair_.

Don't get her wrong, now; _she didn't regret covering up Zach_. She loved him and, from what she remembered hearing in the hospital bed while repeatedly refusing the drugs they tried to pump into her, he would have been either dead, near-dead, or possibly _a human vegetable_. And she didn't _hate_ the scars... she would much rather wear them than have Zach wear them. He was just beginning life, after all, and he was already starting on a bad note; the kid _lost his leg_ for pete's sake...

She just... _wished things hadn't changed so much_.

She wanted to be able to walk into Wal-Mart at three in the morning to get ice cream and not get looked at like a _robber_ when she walked up to the cashier, even _when_ in Spongebob pajama pants and fuzzy unicorn slippers.

Now, admittedly, _the tattoos probably didn't help her image_. The tribal polar bear covering a good part of her left shoulder, the arm sleeve on her right that looked like _bronze armor_, the phoenix made of blue fire that was vaguely shaped like a spade on her lower back, and the newest, another tribal bear and trident (there were still additions to be made), on her right shoulder blade. But they helped draw attention away from some of the scars, and they gave her a sense of _pride_... that she'd been able to withstand the pain without any breaks, even after fairly recently going through the crash, that she'd been able to _make it_ up that hill carrying a dead weight of a man, even as she'd been half-blind from the blood in her eye and as the glass embedded in her skin made every movement, every _breath_ a pain-

She stopped her increasingly gloomy thoughts as a heavy fist began banging on the door and a muffled screaming started. "'_Ey, dipshit, le' me the fuck in, you hoe!_"

Ashley's eyes rolled to the ceiling. _Rude_... But that _was_ the guy, for ya...

Rolling out of the bed and trudging out of the room, she walked to the front door and pulled it open. "Nate, you're a public disturbance... and the neighbors _probably_ think you're my abusive boyfriend... _Do whatever you want with that information_."

Said man, Nate, rolled his eyes. "_Fuck_ what they think... _except for that very last bit_, 'cuz, _y'know_... if ya _want_..." He wiggled his eyebrows, bringing a bark of laughter from her.

"Keep dreaming," She laughed, opening the door wider and stepping to the side. "Anyways, c'mon in. What's up?"

Waltzing right in like he owned the place, he kicked off his shoes and hopped over the back of the couch before settling in comfortably. "_Nuttin'_, dip. Can't I just come an' visit...? Or did ya finally smarten up an' decide ta ban me?"

She slapped her hand to her chest and cracked a goofy grin. "What, _me...?_ Smarten up...? _Of course not_." She followed suit and hopped over the back to join him on the couch.

The tattooed man with shadowed eyes, short, messy hair and stubble eyed her curiously for a moment before raising a brow. "You was bein' all emo again, wasn't you...? Thinkin' 'bout doom an' gloom an' shit."

The auburn-hair girl looked at him oddly. "I'll _never_ understand how you do that..."

"_Talent_, yo," He shifted in his seat to face her more. "Now _spill_, a'ight? What's the deal, what's happenin'...? Ya keep gettin' worse, dip. _What the fuck_, hoe? What's-_you didn't even really care about the car crash at first_... That's what this's about, right?" She gave a curt nod, and he made a face. "Yeah, '_the fuck, bruh?_ Why're you gettin' _worse?_ You's supposed ta get _better_ as time passes, not _worse_."

She exhaled heavily and looked up at the ceiling, running a hand through her hair. "I... I just feel like I'm a _waste of space_, now, Nate... Society doesn't _want_ me out in public, now that I'm all... _unsightly_. Seriously, I... _I've thought about whether or not I wanted to actually go outside_ a couple of times... I feel like everyone's looking at me and _pitying_ me, or thinking '_God, look at those ugly-ass scars_'"

"Who's society ta judge? _They don't know you_, so who gives a fuck about what mother-fuckin' _society_ thinks?"

"_I do_, Nate," She huffed, shooting him a look from the corner of her eye. "At first I didn't, but the looks get _old_ after a while, man... and it's been a _hell_ of a long while. Yeah, Zach keeps me distracted from it, but I'm not _always_ with the kid. I don't have work tomorrow; they keep cutting my hours at GameStop, and-"

Nate pounded his fist into his hand. "I can go an' do some ol' '_Nate magic_'; that'll get you some more hours, _guaranteed_."

"_You're not gonna threaten my boss, Nate_." She smiled despite herself. "Anyways... the museum only needs me a few nights outta the week, and I can't do fights _every week_... I need time to _heal_ and _rest_... I'm _good_, I'm not _invulnerable_..."

He nudged her side. "If you want money, I'll give you a hundred bucks ta blow me-"

"_Don't_." She held out a hand and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head while trying to fight off a bubble of laughter. "Don't finish that sentence..." She snorted. "_Real gentleman_, aren't you...?"

The man grinned. "The _most_ mother-fuckin' gentlemanly, yo."

Ashley breathed a laugh and shook her head. "_Naturally_. Now put in the movie that I _know_ you brought with you, mister gentleman." Nate scowled but heaved a breath and dragged himself to his feet. As he trudged to the TV, she grinned. "_Thank you!_"

He gave her a look. "Shut the fuck up, hoe..."

* * *

**Author's note**

**Okay, I updated really fast and the AN is gonna be short, but dude i don't even care, I've been gettin' shit DONE today, I wanna take advantage of it as much as possible, and I only have 2 and half hours left to do that! REBEL LIFE!**

**Also, thanks for reading! Even if you don't really like, I appreciate that you took some of the time out of your day to read! I know it's not much, but... _yeah_. It's... not much :x**

**Tell me if I made any errors (thanks to An Awesome Anon!) and I hope my goofy little tale made you smile a little :)**

**I'm starting to seriously love Nate, you guiz. You don't know because I don't have the sequel out yet, but I _think_ you're gonna like him, too, if you're waiting for it. Like, _this is becoming a problem_, because I'm almost shipping him and Ash... In 'Courage' it wasn't as bad, but I've been fleshing him out and just... THE SEQUEL GUIZ. I unconsciously made a part kinda... _shippy_. With butt slapping and junk. THIS IS BECOMING AN ISSUE. Jack's kinda off doin' his own thing after things, and she hangs out with him and another person, and I'm _scared_ I'm gonna make them another 'too-likeable person'.  
**

**Bear with me guyz ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ ****(oh my glob, there's a hella lotta faces in today's AN)**

******, _Blue_**


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley groaned and stretched, turning over in her bed, only to drop to the ground with an audible _thud!_

Well, she wasn't in the bed... _that backfired_, a little bit...

She whined under her breath and opened her eyes blearily, only to groan again in exasperation. There was popcorn everywhere... Fuckin' _Nate_, man. Maybe she _should_ ban him...

Staggering up to her feet, she shuffled out of the living room and over to her room to change, which was really just changing into another shirt.

Once she got there, though, she quickly decided that she didn't feel like going into her closet, and just pulled off her recent one, settling with just going around in her tank top again, today. Yawning and stretching, she walked over to her pets cage and opened the hatch, reaching in to lightly stroke the snoozing rats while she checked their food and water.

Good to go... _cool_.

Grabbing her phone and turning on the screen, she let her head fall back and huffed. It was almost three in the afternoon... "Shit... I'm too mo-fuckin' tired for this bull. Need... coffee... too lazy to make it myself." She grumbled to herself, stumbling over to her desk and grabbing a sticky note, scribbling in pen, '_clean up and play with the boys for a bit before you leave, please and thank you -dip_' before trudging out and walking to the couch, where Nate was leaned back and snoring quietly. She stuck the note to his forehead and grabbed her keys before stepping into her combat boots and lacing them up.

Once she was done, she stood up with a heavy breath and stepped out, locking the door behind her. Breath billowing out, the girl squinted at the bright light before walking over to the first of four floors of steps.

"Today's gonna suck..." She yawned before hopping down of the first set of stairs. "I can _feel_ it."

* * *

Ashley took a good, long drink of her pumpkin spice latte, not taking notice of her burning throat. When she was good and _somewhat_ more alert, she put it down in her cup holder and started up Bumblebee, listening to him purr and running her fingers over the wheel before backing up. She put on her '_wake the fuck up_' playlist on her MP3 player, which was full of the loudest, heaviest metal she could find.

She only got a few blocks down before taking note of the traffic. Her brows shot up into her hair in mild surprise, _until she glanced at the clock_. Then, her shoulders drooped and she heaved a sigh. _Three-thirty in the afternoon_... _God_, she was becoming a lazy ass.

Veering to the left, she turned to take a different route, heavy metal screaming at her all the way.

And that was how it went. She had a lit cigarette in her mouth and drove for a while (not as fast as she would have liked, _but hey_, progress was progress, and speeding in this area was a _no-no_). It was all hunky dory... until she noticed the kid.

Or teen, but really, _whatever_. He was being tailed by three people, and did _not_ look particularly happy about it, either.

As she was hoping that someone would go and help the kid out while nearing them, she realized that the kid looked familiar. And the reason _why_ he looked familiar was because he was _Emma's brother_, and suddenly, helping him became less of an entertained thought and more of a _reality_ as her protective instincts kicked in.

She punched the gas, giving a short burst of speed and pulling the car to a stop as she pulled over a bit in front of him while turning off her music.

All but _shoving_ the door open, she hopped out and walked over, shoulders squared as she pulled herself to her full height. "Hey, _there_ you are! I've been lookin' all over for you, Jack!"

The brunette looked a bit confused for a second, before his eyes flashed with realization and he quickly played along. "Yeah, sorry," He walked a little too fast towards her for her assumption that he was uncomfortable to be wrong. "You were a little late, so... sorry."

She met him halfway, boots stomping with force as she threw an arm around his shoulders, suddenly _glad_ she hadn't put on her heelies instead (because as awesome as they are, they just aren't that threatening) as she chewed on her cigarette. Eyebrows drawing together as she did so, she jerked her head towards the other three teens before cracking her neck with a loud _pop!_ "These guys givin' you trouble?"

"_No!_" The smallest of the trio cut in, visibly sweating as she dropped her arm and walked closer to them. "Of course not!"

The tallest one nodded visibly. "Yeah, we were just going; see you, Jack!" And then, the three teens just _took the Hell off_, with her glaring at their backs all the while.

_Smart kids_. Ashley knew she was _already_ intimidating on her own without even trying, with her toned arms, tattoos, and scars... but when she _was_ trying... _forget about it_.

Once they were gone, the girl harrumphed before looking back at Jack questioningly. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." He heaved a breath and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Thanks."

Her hands twitched with the urge to fix his hair, but instead she just shoved them in her pockets after waving him off. "Not a problem." She strolled back to the driver's side and hopped in, glancing over, only to raise a brow as she realized he'd already started walking again.

_The fuck, man...?_ Did he think she was gonna leave him, _just like that?_

Rolling up to his side, matching his speed, she rolled the passenger side's window down and looked over. "Hey!" Jack jumped, head shooting to the side in surprise. Once his eyes met her, she gestured to the passenger seat. "Aren't you getting in...?"

His eyes widened as he stuttered. "I-I... It's okay, you don't _have_ to-"

"_I want to_." She cut him off curtly. "So... you comin' or not? I'm not gonna _abduct_ you or anything, man, I'm just gonna give you a lift to your place. You in?"

There must've been something in her eyes, because he faltered mid-step, and she eased on the brakes to keep pace. He studied her cautiously for a bit before pulling the door open. "You aren't gonna offer me a free bike or candy, are you...?"

Ashley snorted and laughed, making the teen follow suit and chuckle. "Well... I think I've got a lollipop in dash somewhere. That count...?"

"_Nope._" He grinned, hopping in and throwing his book bag to the floor. As he put on his seat belt, Ash put her cigarette out on her pants leg, ignoring the teen's audible wince before stuffing it back into her pack.

Once the door was shut and he was safely buckled, she took off at a slower-than-usual pace. She glanced over at the teen occasionally for the _longest time_, before finally sighing and asking quietly, "Those kids didn't hurt you or anything, did they, kid...?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "I-_no!_ They weren't..." He trailed off and shook his head, shooting her an odd look. "Why would you think that...?"

She shrugged. "I call 'em as I see 'em." Her hands rubbed the leather-covered steering wheel as she cleared her throat awkwardly. "You, um... I don't suppose you wanna _talk_ about it, do you...?"

The teen gave wry grin. "There's not really much to talk about, so... _nah_, I'm good. Thanks, though."

She breathed a sigh of relief, pretending to wipe sweat from her brow. "Whew... Oh, _thank God_... between you and me, I'm not all that eloquent with words..." She cracked a smile as Jack sniggered, and reached over to grab her cup, taking a sip before moving it towards him. "Want some?"

Jack gave her an odd look, lips twitching up as he glanced at the offered cup. "What is it...?"

"Pumpkin spice latte."

His face screwed up as he staved off a smile. "No offense, but... _that sounds terrible_."

The auburn-haired girl huffed. "Yeah, well... _I'm offended_." She snickered and glanced over at him, waving it under his nose until he finally grabbed it from exasperation. "It's good. Just _try_ a sip, would ya...?"

Moving the cup to his lips only to falter, he looked over at her. "Drink it with my _lips...?_"

She tried not to look condescending while fighting back a smile. "That's _usually_ what people use to drink things, so... _yeah_, with your lips. Unless you're secretly an alien that has a bendy straw for a tongue and you usually use your tongue to drink stuff; _in which case_, go ahead and do whatever makes you comfortable. I don't judge, and I'll do everything I can to keep any shady government guys away from you."

He bit back a snort of laughter and shot her an amused look. "Erm, no... _I'm not an alien_... I was just checking, in case you wanted me to take off the lid. Germs and all... some people don't really like them."

"Well," Ashley said dryly, "Those people are squeamish, germaphobic little _ass-hats_." She winked as he laughed. "I don't have mouth herpes or anything, and I'm _hoping_ you don't; and we haven't been giving out blow jobs or anything, _I think_. _I_ haven't- don't really know about you..." She turned away from the road briefly to wiggle her eyebrows at him, only to yelp as a balled-up piece of paper bounced off of her face, purposely veering the car slightly while crying out, "_Driving_, here!"

The teen deadpanned at her, and she chuckled at his expression.

Now, _naturally_ she would never admit out loud for a number of reasons (for one, it could be considered _pedophilia_, even if she didn't like him like _that_, and she didn't really like to speak of her affection for _anyone_ other than Zach), but she was starting to really like the kid. He was a little goofy, and a real _smart ass_ sometimes, but he was sweet when it was appropriate; and she had _yet_ to see him look at her face like she was horribly disfigured or mutated...

So he was pretty okay in her book. Which also meant that she _would_ tease him without _any_ mercy.

"Y'know, you never said haven't been blowing people... I'm all ears with arms wide open if you ever wanna confess anything-"

"_Shut up_." He cut her off, face turning pink as he covered his face with his hands. "_No_, I haven't... _what's wrong with you?_"

She waved him off with a snort. "Oh, lots of things... but this isn't about me, is it?" She lightly nudged him. "Quit stalling and _drink the damn latte_ before I remember that I _hate_ sharing."

Jack gave a laugh as he took a sip. "Whatever you say, crazy lady."

* * *

**Author's note~**

**Bear with me guys ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ I've got a million and a half stories I've started and have yet to finish, and now I'm helping my friends write/draw a manga. FFFFFFFFFffffffffffffff-**

**I need to learn time management D:**

**Also, I hope my dumb little tale made you smile a bit :)**

**,_ Blue_**


	5. Chapter 5

Ashley bounced on the balls of her feet, throwing a few mock punches at the air while she mentally blocked out the steady stream of cheers around the ring.

Her hands itched under the tape, but she ignored it as grabbed the bottle of water from her black-haired friend and mentor of Italian descent, who was hanging over the padded top of the chain-link fence surrounding the ring. His well-tanned, almost _olive_-colored face smiled comfortingly at the girl as he tugged her back closer to the fence, taking the bottle back when she was done and clipping it to his belt before lightly rubbing her shoulders.

"Take it easy, Ace," He muttered into her ear, "You've got this in the bag."

Then, the announcer and referee, a larger-than life Russian man with a long, white beard and rosy cheeks, began introducing her opponent. Her pulse skyrocketed, and the girl glanced down at herself. Her knees had healed up pretty nicely, but were still an open target... scabs were easy to open, and _usually_ hurt when they did.

_She'd just have to deal_, she reasoned with herself. As long as it was a somewhat evenly matched fight, she _should_ be okay...

After Vergil shoved her mouthpiece in her mouth, she lifted her gaze from the floor.

_Her heart sank_.

A huge, bull of a... _was that a woman...?_ Holy shit, he-she-_it_ must have outweighed her by a hundred and fifty pounds! She dropped to the floor, arms limp and jaw slack as she stared at her opponent in shock. And judging from the sudden hushed silence from the people around her, _they were surprised, too_. _Someone_, _somewhere_ fucked up _bad_... and Ashley, and some other _poor sucker_ in the not-so-distant future, was going to suffer for it.

As her foe stepped into the ring, Vergil took off without a word towards the Russian ref, who looked about as shocked as Ash felt. While Vergil and the man whispered furiously to each other, her opponent gave a thin-lipped smirk and licked her chops.

_Holy shit, she was doomed_...

After a silent few minutes, Vergil jogged back to the girl's side as the Russian picked up his mike. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" The white-haired man spoke gruffly into the mike, "There has been _error_. Ve vill not be having fight tonight, and-"

Uh oh... _no fight meant no money_. Ashley stopped listening and all but sprinted over to the man, cutting him off by tugging his sleeve. He stopped and eyed the girl curiously as she motioned for him to come closer. He leaned over so she could speak into his ear, and she told him matter of factly, "Uh, _no_. Me and that she-tank over there, we _are_ gonna fight tonight."

The man's eyes shot open. "_Vhat?!_" The mike squealed at his outburst, and he winced before putting the microphone behind his back and continuing. "Vhat?! Do you have _deathwish_, leetle vone? She vill _kill_ you!"

Ashley glanced over at her opponent, who bounced slow and heavy, making the ground shake with each hop. Her confidence grew with each bounce of her foe. "No, she _won't_. I can do this... _You gotta let me try_."

"You are _insane_ if you vish to try_!_" He hissed sharply.

"_Maybe_, but this isn't exactly the face of someone who can get a solid job," She hissed back, gesturing to her scarred face viciously, "I have a car repair payment to make in _two days_, and, not counting this, _one day_ of night-shift duty in three days! I have family who think I need to live with them, at _twenty years of age!_ If that isn't a pride-destroyer, I don't know _what is_... I can take 'er down; _trust me_. I know my limits."

He eyed her warily, flickers of sympathy floating in his eyes. For a straight minute, he said nothing, until he finally sighed heavily. "Tell you vhat... I vill give you three hundred more dollars in pay-for _zhis_ is history in the making... You _barely_ go past middleweight, and are going against a heavyweight fighter. And if I zhink it is too much for even _second_, I _vill_ stop it. And even then, I am _only_ permitting zhis because I _know_ you. You do _incredibly_, even at such a disadvantage at nearly _all_ fights. Kapush?"

"_Kapeesh_." She gave a curt nod.

The Russian heaved another heavy breath and ran a hand through his snowy hair. "Remember to _keep limbs close_. Less _target_ to hit, yes?" Once she nodded, he waved her back to her side as he turned to address the anxious crowd that was waiting to hear the news. "Ve have _change of plans_. There _vill_ be fight tonight."

Vergil looked at her like she was an idiot, all but _fuming_ at her, but she ignored it as she turned to face her foe. Various boos and screams erupted from the crowd as the Russian told them that she and the she-tank were going to fight...

Because, though it rather embarrassed her to admit it, she was a bit of a _crowd favorite_. _They_ remembered why she had her scars, though the rest of the town seemed to have forgotten, and just seemed to like her in general. _She_ certainly didn't mind being liked, even _if_ they didn't really know her individually.

All of her thoughts dropped out of her head like a person dropped over the edge of a cliff as the bell screamed.

The tank rushed her, and Ashley quickly dodged the attempted sweep with three quick but solid jabs in succession at their side. She moved to make another quick jab, only to get a heavy fist to the face.

The force of the hit sent her flying, and made her left eye _erupt_ in white-hot pain as her head swam. _But she couldn't stop and react_. Russian was _watching, waiting_ for an excuse to stop the fight. She rolled back to her feet and ducked another attempted hit, quickly confirming the strategy that had been forming in her head. _Hit quick, move quicker_, and for the _love of God_, don't take another straight hit like that again...

Ashley bounced around her foe, vision still swimming a bit as she shot her arms out to punch whatever she could reach as a thin layer of sweat began coating her body.

She chanted in her head. _Don't let her touch you. Don't let her get you_. _Let her get you, and it's all over_. And _man_, for a while there, she was doing _good_. But then she slipped on some blood that she _hadn't even realized she'd drawn from her adversary_.

It was a small, and I _do_ mean _small_ delay in her step, but the Tank saw her advantage and _leapt to take it_.

The only comparison Ashley could make was that it felt like the _car crash_ all over again, as she got tackled to the ground. But she didn't have _time_ to reminisce about what _was_, because what _is_, is being _wailed on_ by a three hundred pound _dead weight_.

She blocked some of the beating, and the adrenaline helped keep out a _lot_ of the pain, but that didn't mean it still didn't fucking _hurt_. She was _pinned_, her pulse and screams roared in her ears, her face fucking _hurt_, and she was _pretty sure_ she could taste blood.

So, she went with an old trick and thrust her hips into the air with all the strength she could muster, and her foe went _face-first_ into the chain-link fence. Ashley took her chance and kneed that girl in the gut with _all she was_ before rolling out from under her and jumping back to her feet.

Then, two things happened...

The Tank got _kicked in the trachea_ by Ash, but also grabbed the auburn-haired girl's scabbed knees and _clawed the scabs and then some off of her God-damned knee skin_.

Using her other leg to _kick this bitch in the face_, Ashley staggered back and hopped around on one foot, shouting to her adversary, "_What the ever-living fuck?!_"

Curses spilled out of her mouth like prayers, and the much smaller woman dragged the much larger to her feet (getting some more punches to her shoulders and sides and anything else available) before backing up two steps and spinning on her heel, using the momentum to pick up speed and do a roundhouse kick to the face.

Tank went down like a ton of bricks.

And _just like that_, it was over. Tank tried to get back up, but barely sat up before dropping back to the lightly padded ground.

Her adrenaline was running so fast, though, her hearing was so muffled and her vision was so blurry, Ashley didn't even _know_ she'd won until the Russian lifted her arm in the air and roared a cheer.

It was that yell that fixed her broken hearing, and the cheers were so loud that it nearly _frightened_ her.

Maybe her reactions were a bit dulled from all the... _you know_, blunt force trauma to the _head_. But the next thing she knew, Vergil was holding her princess-style and lightly spinning her around while beaming at her.

"I won, right...?" She asked blearily, brows furrowed.

Her friend threw his head back and laughed. "_Yes_, you won, Ace! That was _incredible!_"

She let her head drop against his shoulder as she mentally tried to dispel her headache. "Was jus' dumb luck..."

"Oh, it was _dumb_, alright," He scoffed, flashing a smile at her, "But it wasn't _luck_. It was skill and _stupid amounts_ of fearlessness... I still would have preferred it if you hadn't done this one at all, but _good job_, regardless."

She grunted into his hoodie before whining quietly. "That crazy lady _ripped off my knee flesh_, Vergil..."

The man chuckled at her quiet complaint. "I know, I know... let's get you patched up, then, huh?"

"Please...?"

He breathed a laugh. "_Yeah_. Let's head on back, then... _want me to carry you...?_"

"Please, I love you," She told him.

Vergil threw back his head and laughed. "Alright, Ace... No problem. You just shut your eyes for a bit, and I'll wake you when we get to the back, okay...?" When she didn't answer, he glanced down, only to smile.

_She was already asleep_.

* * *

Ashley jumped up with a cry as Vergil poured cold alcohol over her leg, sending a mix of the stuff and her blood onto the cemented ground.

The man gave her an apologetic upturn of his lips before going back to cleaning her leg, and she sighed heavily. "I feel like shit, Vergil..."

"_Understandable_," He reasoned slowly, "You went against someone who was _three times_ your size..." He trailed off before adding, quieter, "I thought she was going to kill you, for a second there..."

She grunted. "For a _lot longer_, I thought that, too."

Vergil cracked a smile. "You _amaze_ me, sometimes, you know that...?"

With a small shrug, she gave a tired grin in response, glancing down at her tank top only to curse. "_Is that _my _blood?_"

"Some of it."

She made a face of disgust, about to comment about how _she didn't want that she-tank's blood on her,_ when she noticed movement from the corner of her eye and looked over. She froze, and Vergil looked over as well.

"Hey, _kid!_ You can't be back here!" Vergil moved to physically force him out, only to stop as Ash grabbed his arm to stop him. Maybe it _wasn't_ him, but it kinda looked like him through her bruised and swollen and squinted eyes, so she decided to take a chance in case it _was_ who she thought it was.

"It's cool, Vergil," She assured him, "I know him... He's a friend of mine." She jerked her head to the teen. "C'mon, Frost; _get over here_."

Once given the all clear, the teen all but _rushed_ her, firing questions faster than an automatic rifle shot bullets. "_Are you okay?!_ I saw the fight and-and it was _amazing_, but you got hurt, and there was _so much blood_-"

Ashley slapped a hand over his face to silence him. "_I'll_ be asking the questions here, buck-o." She gave him a disapproving look. "What in the _Hell_ are you doin' here?"

Jack froze and his cheeks flushed a bit. "I... a _sleep over_. This was one of the, uh... _extracurricular activities_."

She heaved a sigh, shooting him a look. "_Kid_. Do you really think your mom would approve of this...?"

The teen grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. "I... _I dunno_." He drawled sheepishly. "Maybe...?"

"Yeah," She snorted, "Or maybe _not_. Seriously, what are you doing here...?"

He blinked, face falling. "I told you, I came here with-"

"No, I don't mean _at the underground_," She told him, "I'm talking about _here_. Why did you come and find me?"

Jack fidgeted. "I... _I don't know_. You just looked-you _look_ so messed up, I... I just wanted to come and make sure you were okay..." He trailed off before coughing. "And, _besides_... can't have my sister's favorite tutor dying on her..."

"I'm her _only_ tutor."

He gave a sheepish smile. "Well, _yeah_... _that, too_."

Ashley shared a look with Vergil as he finished wrapping her leg up. "I think," She sighed heavily, "That's all the time I have to be doctored up, Vergil... I gotta take the kid home."

Said kid gave an indignant cry. "_What?!_ No, you can't do that! I'm still at a sleepover, and-"

"_This doesn't look like a place where you'd do much sleeping_, kid." She pointed out dryly. "I mean; all this _blood_ and _suturing_...? Hardly a place to sleep, unless you're a psychopath..."

He blinked. "Sut-suit-_what?_"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, but corrected him. "_Suturing_. Stitching up wounds, basically..." Gripping his shoulder and ignoring the sting of pain in her side, she gave him a look. "Kid... _l__ook me in the eye_ and tell me that your mom would be okay with you being in a place like this."

He couldn't. _Of course_, he couldn't. Even _Ashley_ wouldn't let her hypothetical kids go to these, and she would be the most _irresponsible mom, ever_. She would be the mom that gives her kid a medieval flail to deal with bullies! Or maybe a home-made flame thrower...

Shaking her head to clear it, she returned her attention back to the teen. "Kid. _You're high_. _Go find your friends_, and get out of here."

Jack fidgeted. "I, uh... I kinda ditched them in the crowd." He faltered for a moment before crying indignantly, "_And I'm not high!_"

"If you thought being here was a good idea, then you _clearly_ are. And that sounds like a _personal_ problem... You'd better find 'em," She said wryly, "Because if you stay with me, I'm takin' you home. _Your choice_."

* * *

And the kid had called _her_ stubborn... Vergil had gone and did his usual '_disappear from mid-air_ thing, and Jack had _refused_ to leave her in the state she was.

So _that_ was why she was driving with an ice pack tied to the more bruised left side of her face, barely able to see out of her swollen right eye. Before disappearing on her, her oddly named mentor had closed up the cuts on her face with those weird things she only _just recently_ learned actually _had a use_ that were in any first-aid kit. And they _itched_...

Between the itching and the throbbing and the pain, driving right now was _not_ her idea of a fun time. And what was worse...?

_Jack_. He had yet to say a _word_, since entering the car. It was kinda creepy... but mostly, it made her feel _craptastic_.

It _shouldn't_ have. She'd straight-out _told_ him that she was going to take him home if he stayed with her; he'd been warned _fair and square_...

So... _why did his silence bug her so much?_ He wasn't even _pouting_ or anything, he was just looking out the window! Maybe he was one of those people who just didn't talk a lot in the car...

But then... _she knew that was a lie_. She _knew_ it was a lie, because she'd had him in her car mere _hours_ ago, and he'd been a fucking chatterbox! The two had quipped back and forth like they'd been doing it for years (though, he'd occasionally needed some reassurance; but that was still the case for some people that have _actually_ known her for years). And now, the fact that he was _going out of his way_ not to talk to her bugged her.

Maybe it bothered her because she'd caught him staring... only, instead of staring at her scars, he'd been staring at her tattoos with fascination and curiosity. Most teens looked at her like the adults did, only with more fear. _Jack hadn't_. He'd looked at her like _anyone_ would look at a stranger that had knocked on their front door...

_She didn't know_. It just bothered her, alright? It made her insides twist with unease because it wasn't _often_ she met new people, annoying teenagers in high school or not, that didn't give her that _look_ when they first saw her. That scared, uncertain, _pitying_ look.

So, when she pulled up to his house, she heaved a sigh as she pulled the keys from the ignition. "You _knew_ what I was gonna do if you stayed. I _told_ you. Why didn't you just _go_, get off scott-free...? Why did you even _find_ me? You should've known something like this would have happened..."

Jack shrugged a shoulder, still avoiding looking at her. "I just... You looked so _hurt_, you know... like you were about to collapse and never get up. I was _worried_... she'd hit you right in the face, and _so much_... I guess I thought... you weren't gonna tell? You were gonna be cool about it?" He paused and waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Actually, _I lied_. I _didn't_ think. I just saw you, I saw my _friend_ was hurt, and I had to make sure you _weren't_."

Ash sucked in a breath and tried not to flinch. _Shit_. That was fucking _adorable_... "Are you mad at me...?"

"_No_," He sighed and ran a hand through his hair with no amount of gentleness. "I'm not... I should've known better... I don't know _what_ I was expecting when I sought you out. For a second, I figured I'd get in trouble, but... I guess I forgot: _responsible adult first_, friend second." He looked at her from the corner of his eye, uncertainty in his expression, but for _completely different reasons_ than she was used to. "Am I even your friend...?"

_Oh no_... he wasn't _mad_. No, he was _hurt_. "You could have _left_," She defended weakly, "I would have dropped it!"

"I didn't wanna leave you alone." Jack frowned at the dash. "I don't think you know just _how bad_ you look. When you sat still, you looked _dead_." He exhaled heavily. "Anyways... _let's get this over with_." He reached for the door handle, but it locked as his fingers touched it, and he turned to look and see _what the fuck she was doing_.

The girl stared at the dash through her one eye, gripping the wheel so tight, she almost worried it would _break_. "Fuck." She muttered under her breath before slamming her fist into the wheel and repeating louder, "_Fuck._" She ground her teeth together for a bit before slamming her head to the wheel. Ignoring the teen's concerned cry, she sighed heavily and shoved the key back in, starting it back up with a huff. "Where's it at?"

"I..." He gave her an odd look. "What...?"

"Where's that _dumb-ass_ party?" She repeated exasperatedly. "I won't tell your mom, alright...? I wouldn't have in the _first place_, if it wasn't..." She trailed off and shook her head vigorously, almost like she was trying to clear her head. "Just... _be careful_, next time you go to the underground, okay? I'd _prefer_ it if you didn't go at all, but if you do... promise me that you'll be careful. Because there's some _creepers_ in that place, sometimes. _I_ can handle myself decently enough; I'm just a little worried about _you_, okay...? Girls aren't the only ones who get mugged or even _raped_..." She said grimly, making a face. "I knew a guy... _it wasn't pretty_. You're _just_ starting out life..."

"_You're a kid, too_," He reminded her. "You can't _pull_ the age card with me; you're only _three years older_."

Ashley heaved a breath and reminded herself to _stay calm_. "Okay, sure, _fine_... _whatever_. Just... _tell me where the fuckin' party is_," She grumbled sourly, twisting the wheel in her hands. "I'm _tired_, I can barely see, _I wanna go home_."

Jack shot her a concerned look. "Maybe... _maybe you shouldn't be driving_..."

"Oh, _I probably shouldn't_," She snorted, "But I'm _gonna have to do it_, either way, so..." She trailed off and clumsily shrugged a shoulder. "You have _two seconds_ to tell me where I'm droppin' you off, or I'm just gonna go straight home, _with or without you_."

The teen blinked. "Wait, what...?"

"_One_."

His eyes widened again as he fumbled over his words. "I-_wait a second_..."

"Two."

The engine roared as she stomped her foot to the gas and high-tailed it out of there. It was a _bluff_ of course; she just didn't want to sit in the middle of the road, was all... But, from what she gathered from Jack's bright grin and laugh, _he didn't really seem to care_ whether he missed the party or not.

Man, this guy... _this guy had her whipped_. _Already_...

She really needed to work on that... it was _way_ too easy for people to get her wrapped around their fingers; _one of these days_, someone was going to take advantage of it, and she _knew it_.

But as Jack playfully punched her shoulder, and as she swallowed a wince of pain to keep him from worrying and gave a weak smile back, she found that _she didn't really mind all that much_...

Again.

Whipped.

* * *

**Author's note~**

**Up next! I don't really know... I'll figure it out :I Right after I finish that one FUCKING chapter for the 'Courage' sequel. In case anyone here cares to know; it's gonna be called '_The Coward's Way Out_'. Does anyone even care about the sequel anymore...? Well'p: _I do_, so it's happening whether you want it or not. _BECAUSE I'M A GLIB-GLOBBIN' REBEL_ /) brohoof! (\**

**Hah that was a joke. As if I'd _actually_ be a My Little Pony fan, ha... *sweats nervously*  
**

**SO. Let me know if there's any errors and whatnot in or around here. And I hope my lame little tale made you laugh a little bit :) If, at the very least, from the terrible writing skillz. ILU GUIZ. Legitly, yo.**

**Please try to bear with me guys ********ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ** I know the updates are kinda... _sporadic_. Which basically means _all over the fucking place and random as fuck_. There's your vocabulary word of the day!  


**, _Blue_**


	6. Chapter 6

Ashley rolled out of bed with a tired, pained groan. _Everything_ ached... _her face in particular_. And by _God_, did it throb...

No to mention the fact that she could _barely_ see out of her right eye; _nevermind the left one_. With a grimace, the girl staggered to her feet and limped to the door, wincing with every step and then wincing again because wincing made her _face_ hurt.

It was basically a never-ending cycle of pain... not to mention _really_ inconvenient. She had barely hobbled past the doorway when she saw a blur of blue and brown, and before she could even blink, Jack was right next to her, helping her walk.

She blinked blearily as he all but _dragged_ her to the couch. "You... _you're still here?_"

The teen gave a smirk and quirked a brow as he set her down gently. "Want me to leave...?"

"_No_." For a brief second, panic filled her eyes before flying away just as quickly, being replaced with a half-hearted amusement. "No... I need a source of entertainment," She tried to smile, only to stop and wince as it stretched her split lip. "So... _I don't suppose you could whip me up a cup of coffee_, could you...?"

The brunette rolled his eyes, but flashed a smile before hopping up and going to the kitchen. As she heard him clatter dishes in her kitchen, he called back, "I hope you don't mind, but me and your rats became friends, so... _they're not missing,_ or anything. They're in my pocket."

She blinked and moved to jump to her feet, only to wince and groan low under her breath as she bit back a yelp. "Apollo and Hades? You're _sure?_" She _would_ have turned to look, but... _it hurt_.

He laughed. "_Yeah_."

"Oh... 'kay." She exhaled heavily, letting her head drop back against the couch and shutting her eyes. "That... _doesn't happen a whole lot_, sorry... Did they get out or something?" She heard his feet pad on the floor and flinched as she felt _shockingly cold_ hands touch her face. As her eyes shot open, Jack flashed a sheepish grin above her and started to pull away, but she whined and grabbed his wrists. Once his hands were over her eyes, her shoulders drooped and she exhaled heavily. "_That's_ the stuff..." She heard him snigger but ignored it as she breathed. "Your hands are _really_ cold..."

"Sorry... _Y'know_," He began dryly, "_You're not the first person to tell me that_."

Ashley frowned at the sudden... almost _annoyed_ tone in his voice and spread his fingers to peek up at him. "What are you apologizing' for...? It feels _amazing_." She put his fingers back together and muttered under her breath. "Fuckin' complaining about something that's amazing... _kids these days_, man... I'd snuggle you in a _heartbeat_. If it weren't putting me at risk to get jailed for... _you know_, uh... _pedophilia_ and what not."

The teen laughed, and she cracked a tired smile as he playfully kicked the back of the couch. "Yeah, sure, whatever..." He started to pull his hands away, only to sigh amusedly as she tugged them right back. "Didn't you want some coffee...? I _kinda_ need my hands back for that."

Groaning in complaint but letting him go, she huffed in fake irritation as he walked away. "_Fine_... leave an ol' cripple to suffer in silence..."

He chuckled as he padded back and placed a warm mug in her hands. "Oh, _please_. You're hardly _old_, Ash. Maybe a little senile, but not _old_."

She barked a laugh, only to quickly stop and wince, reaching for her side before giving up halfway and letting her hand drop. "_Ow_... ugh, _man_, kid, I'll tell ya... _do not_ go up against someone three times your size in a fight."

Jack snorted as he plopped down next to her and asked with no small amount of sarcasm, "_Oh yeah?_"

Catching the sarcasm but going out of her way to ignore it, she nodded. "Yeah, man... _not_ fun." She sat up some with a bit of help from Jack, and took a sip before humming. "This is... _acceptable_, Frost."

The brunette shot her a look, a smirk twitching at his lips. "Oh, _like you could do better?_"

"I _know_ I can." She started to _school_ this bitch in the art of making good coffee, only to falter mid-sentence as a thought hit her. Jack hadn't _needed_ to go and make her a cup of coffee, but he did anyways... A sigh left her lips before she sank further into her couch. "Actually, y'know what...? This is perfect. I... _thanks_."

He quirked a brow and smirked. "Are you okay...?"

"Not really..."

His eyebrows drew together in concern as he leaned closer. "Wait... _for real?_"

With a snort, she peeked an eye open to look at him. "Do I _look_ okay to you...?"

He winced and echoed her previous answer. "_Not really_..."

"Exactly," She grunted, trying to meld into the soft cushions of her couch. "I feel like I fell a few thousand feet and into a pile of _shit_." She faltered as she noticed the worry in his eyes and added quieter, "But... _I'll tough it out_. For some _damned reason_, God's making me stay alive and suffer."

Jack hummed, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "You're religious...?"

Taking note of how he said religious like it was an _illness_, she gave a wry smile and stretched out her legs with a barely suppressed whimper. "Yeah... you're not?"

"_Nope_." He said, popping the 'p'.

"Well... _that's cool_." She nudged him lightly and took another sip of her coffee. "I don't judge, and I'm not gonna try and _force ya_ to go to church. So _chill_."

He eyed her with a small smile. "Aren't you supposed to, or something...?"

"Well, we _are_," The girl shrugged, "But... I just don't. Way I see it; _Religion is something you do for yourself_. Sometimes, it just comes to ya, sometimes, it takes an _onslaught_ of pain and misery... If you find Him from someone else's nudging, _hey_, good for you, but... _don't be an ass about it_. It always seemed kinda rude to threaten people with _Hell and eternal damnation_ if they don't go."

She gave a rather unladylike snort before continuing. "Hell, it's been some _months_ since I last went. I don't judge... 'cause judging someone for something as dumb as bein' an _Atheist_ seems kinda... _douchebaggy_. And so is trying to _force_ people to respect and understand your beliefs. It's kinda like a big snowball fight; _it's all fun and games_ until you try to drag the innocent people walking by into it. They could have a panic attack, or get hurt, or just _be in a hurry_. Maybe they just don't _wanna_ be in your snowball fight right then... so _don't force 'em_, or you'll just end up pissin' them off and driving them away for good. They'll come when and if they come. The end."

His brows furrowed in thought. "That... was an _odd_ metaphor for religion. But it kinda makes sense, actually."

Ashley chuckled. "Doesn't it? See, _I can be deep_, too. Sorta..."

"_Sorta_." He agreed with a laugh. It went quiet for a few minutes after: not an _awkward_ silence, merely a companionable one. It was comfortable, and the only sounds were of Ash sipping the coffee.

With a grunt, she grabbed his hand and plopped it over her eyes, cracking a smile as the teen laughed. As he sprawled his cool fingers over her throbbing face, she shuddered and bit back a groan. "_Ooh_, fuck... You have _no idea_ how good that feels," She breathed while sinking down about as far as she could go into the couch. "Ugh... I should _pay you_ for this."

"Normally, _I'd agree_," Jack told her, reaching over and ruffling her hair, letting out another laugh as she whined. "But it's actually kinda nice to have my hands a little warm, for a change... plus, I'd feel _bad_, charging a cripple."

Blowing air up onto his hand, she harrumphed. "I'm not a cripple yet, Frost."

She could almost _hear_ his smirk. "_Aren't you_...?"

Her brows furrowed, and she resisted the urge to lift his hand to glare. "You're goin' down a _dangerous_ path, here," The scarred girl grumbled playfully. "You sure you wanna go down it...?"

"Are you sure _you_ wanna go down it?"

_Oh, no he didn't_... She calmly put her cup to the side. Tensing for a moment before _literally_ throwing his hand at him and tackling the teen off of the couch.

_Not to worry_, though... She kept her rats in mind, and moved so that _he_ landed on top of _her_. Which was both smart, and _really, really dumb_.

A pained cry left her lips before she could stop it, and her face contorted with pain as she let out a shuddery breath and her eyes welled with unshed tears. "_That was dumb_," She gasped, "Oh _shit_, was that stupid, _ow_..." Jack's eyes went wide with concern as he moved to help her sit up, only to yelp as she cried out in pain when he touched her side. "_Don't touch that!_ That's hurt, too, ow!"

"_I'm so sorry!_" He grabbed her arm, flinching as she yelped. "_Crap!_ Is there _any_ part of you that isn't hurt?!"

She groaned and rolled onto her side. "_No_... even my _pride_ is hurt."

The teen tried not to smirk as she peeked up and tried to smile at him. Jack leaned back on his arms and exhaled heavily. "_You're a mess_."

"You can leave whenever you want," She reminded him with a groan of pain as she forced herself to sit up, motioning towards the general direction of the front door. "I promise I won't be _too_ hurt... and if I'm to be _completely_ honest, I won't be hurt at _all_... because, _let's be real_, here; you're a nuisance."

Jack sniggered and gave a crooked grin. "You know, I was actually _considering_ leaving, but... now, I think I'm just gonna hang out here. _Just_ to bug you..."

Both of the rats crawled out of the teen's hoodie pocket and jumped on her as she let out an overdramatic groan, and slumped back against the couch. "_Damnit_... make yourself useful, at least, and get my first aid kit...? It's in either of the bathrooms, in the cupboard..."

With a roll of his eyes, he hopped to his feet and trudged away.

"_Thank you_." She called after him as she dropped her head against the couch cushion. Apollo crawled onto her leg and looked up at her curiously, as though asking why she was beat up like she was, and Ash cracked a smile before running a finger over his head. "_I'm an idiot_..."

* * *

Ashley's shoulders slumped as she looked at herself in the small mirror in her hand. "_Wow_... I look _way_ worse than I thought." She bit back a whine. "I look like a fuckin' _monster_, man..."

Jack snorted and gave a wry smile. "It's not that bad... You kinda look like a stray puppy that got into a fight."

"_Gee_," She deadpanned at him. "_Thanks_. Way to make me feel better..."

He raised his arms in defense and chuckled as she grumbled obscenities under her breath. "It _should_. Those are always the ones you wanna pick up and run away with! They're always the ones you wanna fix up and love forever!"

"_Heh_," She snorted and wiggled her eyebrows at the teen. "You trying to say something, Frost...?"

The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "_Yeah_, actually... I'm saying you should _really_ change those bandages, sometime this week..."

"I do what I want!" Ash smirked as he shot her an irritated look, and she folded her arms defiantly. "You wanna fuckin' go?"

"_Not really_..." Rolling his eyes again, Jack ignored another insult from her and took the scissors from the first aid kit to cut off the bandages wrapped around her head, only to wince as he did so. A particularly _nasty_-looking cut curved in a 'J' shape just besides her right brow, and was bruised black and blue to add insult to injury...

Well, really, the whole _right side of her face_ looked bad. The swelling had gone down quite a bit, but her face was coloured with nearly every color of the rainbow at _some_ part or another. And then the bright, angry-red cuts and scrapes didn't make her look much better, either.

"_Dude_..." He murmured, brows drawn together in concern. "You should've went to a _hospital_. A-are you okay, do you need anything...?"

At his question, Ashley jerked back in surprise as she met his eyes because _holy shit_, that was different... The guy didn't look disgusted or anything; he looked... _concerned_. Like _she_ would look Zach when his leg started acting up, only... she hadn't been on the _receiving_ end of that look since... _well_, last night with Vergil; but Vergil was a _special_ case. Vergil was like her own personal guardian angel... never really noticed by people until her reared to defend her.

She had to remind herself that this, _he_ wasn't Vergil...

The bruised and battered girl cracked a smile. "Maybe a cookie and a hug...?" She'd said it _sarcastically_ as a _joke_, but... she supposed he just didn't quite _catch it_.

"_Yeah_," Jack engulfed her in a hug without a second thought, immediately relaxing and giving an amused smile. "Not sure where I'm gonna get a cookie, though..."

She groaned. "God, you're _useless_... What do I even keep you around for...?"

The teen smirked. "Warm coffee and cold hugs...?"

"_Yeah_..." The scarred girl hummed and pulled away to give him an amused look. "That sounds about right, actually..."He snorted and gave a crooked smile, and she grinned right back... Until, of course, she realized how fucking _close_ they were. More specifically, as she realized how _close_ they were, she also remembered that Jack was a freaking _child_. Her eyes shot open and she all but _leapt_ back, yelping as she slipped on the hardwood floors and landing _flat on her back_.

As she wheezed and groaned in pain, the brown-haired boy all but _fell over himself_ in his rush to help her. Hurried words filled with exasperation and worry stumbled from his lips as he picked up and sat her on her couch. "_What's wrong with you?!_"

Ashley rasped as she curled into a ball, "Mother fucking _everything!_ Get used to it or get the hell out!"

Jack snorted as he tugged her hands away from her undoubtedly _pained_ back. "I've known you for a good month and a half now. _I think I was used to it on the first day_, so you're not getting rid of me _that_ easily."

"_Damn_." She cursed under her breath with dry-humour, wincing again as she rolled onto her stomach. "_Foiled again_." She joked feebly.

"Yeah," He rolled his eyes as she gave an overdramatic moan of pain and complaint over her hand, and grabbed said hand to make sure it was okay. "_You're not that lucky_."

Dropping the joking tone, she asked weakly, "Is it _completely_ terrible that I'm not all that upset...?"

He faltered, and his head shot up from checking her bruised hand with his eyes wide. He expected her to be playing around, but much to his surprise, she _wasn't_. She didn't have the wry smile she made when she was being a smart ass, nor the ecstatic grin when she tried to make a bad pun. The scarred girl looked _earnest_.

A fond smile crossed his face as he playfully pretended to hit her. "Not at all..."

And with that, the serious moment was over as Ashley pretended that he had _seriously injured her_. Unfortunately, _it wasn't that hard for her to pretend to be in pain_, at this point, so he thought she was _serious_. As his brows jumped in concern, she playfully pushed his shoulder. "Oh, _shut up_, Frost, it didn't hurt." A wide, goofy grin crossed her lips as she raised her brows and said slyly. "You gotta _chill_..."

Jack deadpanned at her. "_Really_...?"

"Fuck you, _that was brilliant!_"

"It was cliché and _worn-out_." He corrected dryly, smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as she spluttered in indignation.

"You _face_ is cliché and worn-out!"

The teen threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

**Author's note~**

_**Whew**_**, this update took a while. BUT. I gotz good news for any 'Courage' fans! I got a date for that mo-foin' sequel! 12/13/13! I was gonna try to put it up on the twenty-first of November, y'know, on Rise of the Guardians one year anniversary, but I didn't feel like I had enough done. I _still_, don't, really, but... _I don't give a flying fuck_. Almost 20,000 words is ENUFF. I got to the part with the jungle, that'll do, bros. That'll do. You guys have been REALLY patient with me. I'm not gonna make you wait until 2014.****  
**

**That's also part of the reason this is late, I was working on that DAMN sequel. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, maybe, if you've got time, go read my goofy little tale, '_Courage_'? That's where I got all my characters, and it's probably better than this is, cuz... I seriously think the quality of my writing is going down ._. or maybe it's just that I'm mainly working on 3, sometimes 4 stories at once, with like six more on the side :I Also, I'm in a bit of a writer's block. So yeah. Sucks all around. Sorry bout that...**

**Let me know if I made any errors in this, and I hope my goofy little tale made you smile a bit :) 'Cuz that's the goal, yo.**

******************ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ** Try to bear with me guys! (_I swear I'll find another pun to make, someday. Anyone got something I could use instead of the bear? I would love you forever, and maybe I could put you in the story...? For a quick one-liner or to just tell Ash that's she's cray-cray or to yell something awkward? If you want :I_)  


******, _Blue_**


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